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Dantius Palpatine
Dantius Palpatine was an illustrious human male who served as the second Emperor of the Galactic Empire and one of the most powerful Dark Lords in galactic history. Born in 29 BBY on Imperial Center to the aristocratic House of Palpatine, Palpatine lived a privileged childhood in the Imperial Palace. During his teenage years, he became a successful speeder racer and started collecting dark side artifacts. Early on in his adulthood, Palpatine joined the military and in his service became an accomplished officer. For nearly six years, Palpatine would remain hidden on the Deep Core world of Byss. In 10 ABY, he declared himself Emperor, working alongside the Central Committee of Grand Moffs, and took control of the remnants of the Empire in opposition to Ysanne Isard. However, Palpatine was not dead. Around 23 ABY, Palpatine resurfaced in the galaxy once again in a bid to rejuvenate his Empire in the threats to come. Biography Early life Dantius Palpatine was born on the planet Imperial Center in 29 BBY, to the House of Palpatine's patriarch Cosimo and his wife Dalit Palpatine. Palpatine was born in his family's ancestral summer home, but was raised at the Imperial Palace with his elder half-brother, Cosimo, his elder sister, Cosmina, his younger sister, Delice and his younger brothers, Decimus and Dalibor. It was implied that outside of his siblings he was largely friendless as a child and uncared for by his parents. Nevertheless, he began to identify more with his mother as his father was neglectful and possibly even violent. This lack of care largely shaped Dantius' bitter disposition and cruel behaviour later in his life. Dantius himself would later say that he "had a very sad childhood" and that "it was amazing he was sane". From an early age Palpatine identified himself as different from his peers and siblings, recognizing a great power within himself, and believing that he was born to lead like his father. Although the young heir longed to kill his father and assume his reign as Galactic Emperor, Palpatine grudgingly concealed his patricidal desires for years. What seemed like a disability for the child could in fact have been a blessing. Indeed, the Prophets of the Dark Side knew of a legend stating that the will of the Force would produce a perfectly symmetrical being once every millennium. More importantly, the legend added that such a being would be gifted with undeniable power and magnetism. When Palpatine was still very young, his mother met a untimely death during a trip to the spice mines of Kessel. Perhaps because of his keen intelligence, Lord Overseer Reskell Twane felt compassion for the young boy. He took him under his protection during his stay thereafter and would later petition for him to replace him as Lord Overseer. His family's privilege allowed sent to some of the best schools in the galaxy. The boy's large nose and family heritage, however, made him a target of ridicule from his schoolmates. Dantius hated this and became obsessed with exacting vengeance on his tormentors, and over time developed a knack for spying on and reporting his classmates. Education Intelligent and highly ambitious like his father, Palpatine desired to take on an active role in politics at an early age to increase his own wealth and power. Throughout his education Palpatine attended some of the most prestigious and exclusive academies in the Galaxy, but would never remain for long, and would soon be expelled for some petty misdemeanor. Palpatine's list of offenses, while usually minor, was extensive enough that were he anyone other than the Emperor's heir, he would have been imprisoned in a correctional facility. Sure enough, whatever his son's crime, Cosinga would be there, ready and willing to use his influence and credits to make it "disappear." Having been raised to believe that money could solve anything, Palpatine would quickly dispense with traditional notions of morality, instead forging a unique code of ethics for himself, a pedestal on which he placed himself, to be raised above all others. Although he despised his father, more so than any other member of his family, the two were not without their similarities. Aside from an inherited violent streak, and a love for money, power and control, both father and son shared an insatiable passion for speeder racing. Palpatine once fondly recounted an occasion from his youth when his father had bought him a state-of-the-art, prototype speeder, more as a bribe than a gift, but one he accepted, nonetheless. Indeed, the only time Palpatine thought well of the man who raised him was when they shared a cockpit together. This was not to last however, as Palpatine would soon crash the machine, tragically killing two pedestrians in the process. As always, Cosinga bought his son a reprieve, and Palpatine himself never showed the slightest bit of remorse for the incident. Quite the opposite, in fact, if anything, the lack of punishment from the law only served to reinforce the boy's belief in his own invulnerability, and Palpatine insensitively chose this moment to announce his desire to become a professional racer. Cosinga initially banned his son from riding again, but even this feeble attempt at punishment did not last long. After many tantrums Palpatine wore his father down, who eventually relented, and Palpatine went on to race competitively, and successfully. Thanks to his father and older half-brother, Palpatine took a vested interest in forbidden Dark lore as a young adolescent. Employing his family's vast wealth, the youth took to the black market, resolving to collect as many inscrutable runes and ancient texts as possible. Enraptured by the secrets revealed with each tome, Palpatine at once recognized the key to realizing his true ambition, the acquisition of absolute power. It was around this time that he met and established a long-standing friendship with Jorus C'baoth, a Dark Jedi who served the Prophets of the Dark Side. The two often met to discuss politics, philosophy, and the state of the Empire. Eventually, at Palpatine's request, C'baoth was sent to act as one of his personal advisors, and later C'baoth became part of his staff as Emperor. One thing they discussed was the ExGal Society, a small, dedicated group of scientists studying the possibilities of life outside the galaxy, and the idea of an excursion beyond the Galactic Rim. His family's social status provided him with high profile contacts, such as other aristocrats and government officials. One such acquaintance was his father's friend Hego Damask, who was the Muun Magister of the powerful Damask Holdings, as well as a Dark Lord who had taken on the name Darth Plagueis some time ago. Plagueis belonged to, and served as the leader of a secret society bent on galactic domination, and was the real power behind the Galactic Empire. His father introduced Palpatine to the Dark Lord at the age of fourteen. Though he was aware of Damask's reputation, the haughty Palpatine initially had little interest in conversing with the Muun. He was fully dedicated to the Empire, and that, along with his bloodline, as well as his extensive knowledge of military matters earned him the friendship of several higher-ups in the Imperial Military, including Grand Moff Bertroff Hissa. Hissa helped oversee the young man's development, and under his tutelage Palpatine rose to become the ruthless Lord Overseer and Supreme Slavelord of the spice mines of Kessel by 0 BBY. Galactic Civil War Dantius was infamous for his brutal methods. He worked thousands of slaves to their deaths, had thousands more killed during a revolt, and once destroyed a dam to flood out settlers who were causing problems. He also allowed glitterstim to be leaked to certain populations to keep them under control, by his brother's command. As an agent of the Imperial Security Bureau, he informed the organization's leadership of operations on Kessel. However, Commander Maximillian Seerdon of the ISB did not see greatness in Palpatine's future. Palpatine treated Pestage's colleague, Kinman Doriana, in a similar fashion. Doriana had a kind of unspoken wish to be a spy, and Palpatine indulged this by assigning him to perform covert work. The ruthless Ars Dangor was also an aide to Palpatine at this time, though information about his activities is far more scarce. Dangor was eventually given a prime place among the Imperial Advisors, and Palpatine consulted with him on galactic-security issues, especially those dealing with the Rebellion. He ran much of the day-to-day affairs of the Empire, and was a powerful and charismatic public speaker. He was also responsible for all public addresses. An example is made Palpatine was equally thorough in dealing with traitorous Senators who were off Coruscant at the time, or had escaped. One was Senator Canna Omonda, Mon Mothma's successor as representative from Chandrila. Many Senators had hoped Omonda would intercede for them. But Omonda, seeing no point, did not try to gain an audience, instead becoming one of the few Senators, perhaps the only one, to leave Coruscant before the noose tightened. But she made a parting shot in her remarks to the press as she boarded a transport bound for Chandrila: Omonda left the capital, but Palpatine could not let her remain at large, so he therefore dispatched an "honor escort" of three Imperial Star Destroyers to Chandrila, to bring her back to Coruscant for a "short interview" with High Inquisitor Halmere. The Chandrilans took the hint that the "escort" would devastate Chandrila if they refused to release her, and so Omonda was turned over to the Inquisitorius. Omonda soon confessed to acts of treason, giving her interrogators the names of people she had passed classified information to. The night of the confession, in his before-dinner remarks at the Palace, Palpatine again donned his well-worn mask of firm benevolence for the sake of the press. Omonda's public execution was scheduled as part of the traditional New Year Fete Week celebrations (1 ABY), but this was canceled in light of "security concerns." No specific reason was given, but the government likely feared that Rebels or their sympathizers might disrupt the event. Even without the executions, the awesome power of the Empire was displayed to full effect. The traditional parade passed before the Palatial Balcony, where Palpatine often appeared, flanked by Ismaren, Vader and numerous lieutenants. Since Palpatine was not on the balcony throughout the entire parade, it is possible that he went to visit her before her death or to watch her die.Star Wars Adventure Journal 5 Palpatine was also heard remarking that if sending up two traitors in a row was how Chandrila rewarded him for his favor, it might benefit from more direct supervision.Star Wars Adventure Journal 4 Chandrila duly received its direct supervision, and its legal government soon vanished. At some point, with the growing rebellion, Palpatine had one of his ranking advisors, Ars Dangor, issue a speech regarding dealing with the Rebel Alliance which was intended to be issued specifically to the various moffs and governors, making clear that they should adopt a policy of terror. The speech ended up leaked by Rebel sympathizers. The dissolution of the Senate From the beginning of his reign, Palpatine sought to remove the Senate. The first reason was symbolic, as he could not leave a reminder of the Republic lying about. The second was political, as some Senators still opposed him. His obedient majority tried keeping them in check, but they understood they were only there to prop up the illusion of democracy. He dealt with the outspoken ones when they appeared, but others sprouted in their place. Worse, some of them, he suspected, were providing the Rebels with funds, information, and resources.Rebellion Era Sourcebook He had waited until the time was right, all the while sapping their power. Finally, in the eleventh month of the year, with the governmental infrastructure in place (the governors, Moffs, and Grand Moffs), with the military, as always, obeying him without question, and with the Death Star, the Tarkin Doctrine's ultimate tool, finally complete and tested, he was ready. Warrants were issued for the arrest of all suspected Rebels. Stormtroopers burst into the Senate, and hundreds were detained. Some, those learned to have had Rebel affiliations, were never seen again. The following morning, the remaining Senators, unaware of what had happened, came to work only to find themselves locked out of their offices and chambers. Some tried to appeal to Palpatine directly, but were told that their diplomatic access to the Palace had been suspended "for the duration of the emergency." Many of them had been present when the Senate gave power to him. They too were arrested and interrogated. Many who were released left Coruscant for their homeworlds, and a peaceful—and isolated—retirement. The small number of Senators that remained, the ones who had most voraciously upheld the party line, were generously rewarded with their lives and new positions. Many of them donned ornate jeweled robes and joined the swelling ranks of Imperial advisors. Palpatine had killed what was left of the Constitution. A new pyramidal structure was imposed, with himself at its summit, then the Grand Moffs who ruled Oversectors, then the Moffs who ruled sectors, then the governors of individual worlds. All of them owed their careers to the Emperor and gave him their allegiance. But even here, he had extra guarantees. He had long since inserted COMPNOR into every level of the bureaucracy, to insure that each one followed his dictates. For all the power of the Moffs and Grand Moffs, COMPNOR stood behind them, more powerful still. And behind them all stood the Death Star, enforcing his will at gunpoint. He did not know, or did not care, that in the end, it would make the Rebellion even more emboldened than before. The subjection of Alderaan and loss at Yavin In the absence of the Senate, Palpatine had established an environment where even his subordinates were capable of terrible atrocities against sentients. From the very beginning of its design, it was intended that the Death Star be capable of destroying entire planets. But most Imperial strategists were certain that the threat alone would be enough to keep most worlds in line. Tarkin felt differently, as he saw it, the Rebels were growing bolder, and only a very public demonstration of the battlestation's power against a Rebel target would succeed in giving them pause. His argument convinced Palpatine. The Emperor approved in advance the destruction of a planet's city, and thereby the mass murder of its entire population. He knew it would be used on an inhabited world. But he did not know in advance that it was to be Alderaan. Tarkin alone made this decision, facing down even Vader to do so. If Palpatine knew about Tarkin's intent from that point onward, it would only be because Vader made a report to him after the decision was made, but before the station entered the Alderaan system and carried out its mission. Palpatine's private feelings on the tragedy were a mystery, but publicly he announced that he was saddened by the loss of such a noble city, and adding that had Alderaan entrusted itself to Imperial protection, it would still be thriving. In other words, the destruction of Aldera might not have been necessary had Bail Organa simply bowed under as he was supposed to. It was later announced by Palpatine's proxies that he himself had ordered the destruction of Aldera after the Empire had obtained "irrefutable evidence" that they had supposedly been creating bioweapons. The possibility that some of these bioweapons had been taken off-world to Rebel cells was dangled in front of the compliant press, to keep the terrified Core Worlds in line and justify a permanent state of emergency. As a result, the Empire put more time and resources than ever before into crushing the Rebellion, flushing out Rebel strongholds throughout the galaxy and conquering worlds that had allied themselves with the Alliance. Tarkin, with his Doctrine, had promulgated a fear-driven principle of governance. But shortly after the destruction of Alderaan, the Death Star itself was destroyed by the Rebel Alliance in the Battle of Yavin. Palpatine ordered the creation of two more Death Star's near Imperial Center's moon Endor, ironically shortly before Luke Skywalker had destroyed the first Death Star. Grand Moff Tarkin, who was aboard the battle station at the time and refused to evacuate, was killed in the station's destruction. But while this was a great loss for the Empire, Palpatine nonetheless found ways to turn the situation to his advantage. Even so, he punished Darth Vader for this failure by severing his right hand. He also suspected that Vader was searching for the force-sensitive pilot in order to betray him. The Emperor deduced the name of the pilot and dropped a hint to Vader about the pilot's identity to indicate his knowledge of his apprentice's intentions. In various points of the war, Palpatine was briefed by Darth Vader on the progress of their fights against the Rebellion. In particular, Palpatine expressed some disappointment at the setback to the Blockade of Yavin, although Vader assured him that it was only temporary. Shortly thereafter, Palpatine also ordered for an attack on Ralltiir after it became apparent that the scientists on the planet were creating weapons for the rebellion. In spite of one of his Imperial officers, Tycho Celchu's defection to the Rebel Alliance, and thus potentially supplied them with valuable information, Palpatine was not concerned about this, as he was fully confident that Ralltiir being fully blockaded by the Imperial Navy would be more than enough to prevent the Rebel Alliance from saving the scientists. Others would have to answer for their incompetence, most notably the Death Star's principal engineer, Bevel Lemelisk. Upon hearing of the Yavin fiasco, Lemelisk, correctly fearing for his life, went into hiding. It did not take long for Imperial Intelligence to track the engineer to his remote retreat on Hefi, and "summon" him to an audience with his Emperor. When he entered Palpatine's audience chamber, he made the tragic mistake of trying to bluff his way through, believing that Palpatine did not know what had really happened. The Emperor set him straight at once. Palpatine used the Force to trap Lemelisk within a wire-mesh cage, and then released into the cage a swarm of winged insects, piranha beetles he had long ago "rescued" from Yavin 4. Palpatine was greatly amused as the insects made shreds of his engineer. After the man's death, Lemelisk was slowly lowered into a vat of molten copper which burned what was left of his corpse away a centimeter at a time. When Sate Pestage felt bold enough to ask why copper, Palpatine simply told him that that was what the smelter had used that day. Plotting against Luke Skywalker Despite telling Vader to be ruthless in his attempts to crush the rebellion and kill them all, Palpatine was unconcerned about the Rebellion. For the present, it was useful, to accustom his subjects to a state of permanent martial law. He could accept some interference from the Rebels if it helped him in the long run. Without the Force on their side, they could never truly hurt him. Palpatine also believed that the Rebels were not fully aware of the scope of his plans to ultimately defeat them, due to the Rebel defector, Sarkli's resourcefulness, especially in regards to the latter successfully retrieving scientists that the Rebels were attempting to rescue at Bakura. Sometime afterwards, around the same time Vader and then-Vice Admiral Thrawn tracked down and destroyed a Rebel stronghold near a planet in the Outer Rim, Palpatine ordered for virtually all of the Imperial Naval forces (and presumably the other Imperial Military branches) to head to the Imperial Center for his announcement on the progress of the war. From his Audience Chamber at the Imperial Palace, he announced that the war was nearly over with the Galactic Empire soon to experience final victory over the Rebel forces, citing Vader's attacks on Rebel strongholds as testament to this. The scramble for a new Emperor/The new Emperor In the wake of his brother's death at Imperial Center, many of the surviving remnants of the Empire sought to take control of the Imperial state. Eventually Ysanne Isard, former Director of Imperial Intelligence, rose above the rest. While Palpatine was still recovering in his Deep Core stronghold, his former advisors received word of the arrival, from deep in the Unknown Regions, of the last surviving Grand Admiral. This was the Chiss strategic mastermind Grand Admiral Thrawn, who was armed with a plan he outlined to them that would defeat the New Republic. Heartened by the possibility of wresting back their power from the Rebels, they managed to set aside their differences and grant him overall command of their forces, with an eye toward making him their figurehead emperor once they had a throne back to give him. When Palpatine learned of this, he was genuinely devastated. Thrawn's cunning tactics and unerring strategies brought the Empire to the brink of victory in 9 ABY, and he would have had complete victory had it not been for betrayal by his Sith bodyguard Rukh. It was then that Palpatine struck. In 10 ABY he reached out to the Central Committee of Grand Moffs, whom were rivals to Isard, and they agreed to support his candidacy to become the new Emperor in return for retaining much of their lost power. They rallied thousands of Imperial leaders to join them on Kessel and hear Palpatine's claim to the Imperial throne. His claim was supported by Grand Moff Hissa, leader of the Central Committee of Grand Moffs who ostensibly served as Dantius' second-in-command. At the end of the secret meeting of Imperials, Palpatine was proclaimed Emperor, referring to himself as a "Dark Lord" whose biology granted him secret powers known to "the ancients." As Supreme Slavelord, Palpatine had taken a special interest in tormenting his illegitimate nephew, Triclops, during his time as a prisoner on Kessel.Mission from Mount Yoda The Grand Moffs had considered Triclops as an Imperial leader, but believing him to be insane decided that Dantius would be more trustworthy and more willing to forfeit power over to the Central Committee. Though fully aware that the Central Committee was exercising their own power through his rule, Palpatine consented to this role for the time being but had no intentions of having it remain so. For their part, the Moffs showed him great loyalty in return, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the warlord. However, his right to rule did not go unquestioned. Many throughout the galaxy had laid claim to the throne, including Jard Dooku, who had amassed a fleet of thirty Star Destroyers and one ''Executor''-class Star Dreadnought at the planet Gargon. Additionally, the Prophet, Kadann Ubooki, had made a false "prophecy" that the new Emperor would hold the glove of Darth Vader, worn on the hand that he had lost in his duel with Luke Skywalker on Imperial Center. Two present at the convocation, Miltin Takel, and a Royal Guard, raised this point with Palpatine; in response, he tortured them with Force lightning. This display quickly earned him the loyalty of those present. The Empire in resurgence To quiet any remaining doubts about him, Dantius determined to find Vader's glove before any other contender for the throne did, and in doing so win the support of Kadann. He ordered the Moffs to begin a galaxy-wide search for the glove. As faith in Palpatine began to diminish amongst his supporters, the warlord grew desperate, and he hatched a plan to capture Luke Skywalker. While on Coruscant, Skywalker was ambushed by an elite squad of Imperial troops in newly opened secret chambers in the former Imperial Palace, and deposited him in a cell aboard an Imperial Dungeon Ship bound for Byss. There, in an ornate citadel, he revealed himself to Luke, and revealed the power of the dark side. Faced with a powerful new Emperor, Skywalker decided to join Palpatine in order to do what many had tried in the past; destroy the dark side from within. Immediately after Skywalker was appointed Supreme Commander of the Imperial forces. Not long after, Palpatine had a stroke of luck when an Imperial agent, Captain Dunwell, discovered several pieces of debris in the Valley of the Giant Oysters on Dac, one of which had revealed the outline of a glove when scanned. Palpatine and Hissa, along with a small fleet of World Devastators, immediately set out for Dac, where they were greeted by Dunwell at his Whaladon Processing Center, a poaching operation for the native sentient Whaladon species. In his Whaladon-hunting submarine, Dunwell took Palpatine and Hissa to the site of the wreckage while the World Devastators under the command of General Titus Klev, aboard the Silencer-7, began to attack the Borderland Regions. Unfortunately for the Empire, Luke Skywalker stubbornly clung to his old loyalties. Secretly followed by Skywalker and Admiral Gial Ackbar in a Calamarian minisub, Dantius retrieved the glove. When Skywalker and Ackbar's minisub was accidentally captured by one of Dunwell's Whaladon-capturing devices, Luke infiltrated the vessel and triggered its self-destruct, though Dantius and Hissa narrowly escaped. Skywalker's treachery would not go unnoticed for long; and after discovering that Skywalker had sabotaged Palpatine's work by accessing the top-secret codes that remotely controlled the World Devastators, and transmitted improper signals, the warlord vowed to have his vengeance on Skywalker. Despite Palpatine's announcement that he had retrieved the glove, the independent Imperial forces did not immediately fall in line behind him. Dooku and COMPNOR declared that they would only give their support with the official blessing of Kadann. Dantius and Hissa traveled to Space Station Scardia, the headquarters of the Prophets, to meet with the Supreme Prophet. Once Dantius promised Kadann a position of high stature in his Empire, he promptly named him Emperor and gave him his dark blessing. The Jedi Prince Kadann and his mistress Mortianna had another prophecy for Palpatine; the Jedi Prince Ken would destroy Dantius if he did not destroy him first. He counseled Palpatine to find Ken in the Lost City of the Jedi on Yavin 4, though he knew the warlord would never succeed.Star Wars: Prophets of the Dark Side Dantius set out in his ''Strike''-class cruiser for Yavin 4. Upon arriving at the moon, he dispatched an explosive-lined probe droid to a meeting of the Senate Planetary Intelligence Network, to whom he issued an ultimatum; if they did not provide the location of the Lost City, he would detonate the droid. Luke Skywalker, present at the meeting, quickly disabled the probe and its detonator, forcing Palpatine to resort to his backup plan: burning down the forests of Yavin 4 until he found the city's entrance. The glove of Darth Vader had somehow been effected by radiation and it had began taking a toll on Dantius' health ever since he started wearing it, and during the attack, he found himself suddenly struck blind because of the glove. A Ho'Din named Baji living on Yavin 4 seemed to be the only solution, and Palpatine had him apprehended. Baji informed him that the rare kibo plant, found only in the rapidly burning forests of the moon, could cure him. After obtaining it and his vision was returned, the Emperor personally came into conflict with Skywalker for the first time since his betrayal. In the meantime, the New Republic rallied, used the moon's weather control system to quench the fires, and destroyed all but one of Palpatine's ships. The Emperor and his coterie retreated but not before being left scarred by the Jedi. Dantius again swore vengeance, this time upon the entire New Republic—with the exception of Leia Organa—and told Skywalker that he would "cut his heart out with a spoon". His plan foiled, Palpatine placed a large bounty on both Skywalker and Ken and returned to Byss to heal from his injuries.Star Wars: Zorba the Hutt's Revenge In the middle of the crisis, Ysanne Isard arranged for the release of Jabba the Hut's father Zorba Desilijic Tiure from prison to use as an unwitting agent. Meanwhile, intent on securing his Empire, Palpatine ramped up production of war matériel. One such operation was a massive factory barge located near the core of Bespin, mining the gas giant's Rethin Sea to use in the production of weaponry and ammunition. Though the amount of air pollution this facility produced drew complaints from Lando Calrissian, Baron Administrator of Cloud City, the Emperor was not fazed, threatening an invasion if Calrissian did not capitulate. While on Bespin visiting Calrissian, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and his sister Leia Organa accidentally stumbled upon the factory barge. When they approached the huge craft to reconnoiter it, they were shot down, and Leia was taken captive. From the moment Dantius saw Leia, he had been smitten with her and wanted her to join him in matrimony. Now that he had her as his prisoner, he set about attempting to win her over. Zorba, meanwhile, had taken over Cloud City from Calrissian. Having learned of Leia Organa's complicity in the death of his son, Zorba got wind from an Imperial spy that she was being held by Palpatine. By coincidence, Palpatine's own target, Ken, had been arrested shortly before by Cloud City's police. Seeing an opportunity, Zorba arranged a meeting to negotiate with the warlord. When Dantius interrogated Ken to assure himself that it was, in fact, the correct boy, he discovered that the danger Ken posed lay in what he had learned from the Jedi Library in the Lost City; Ken was aware that Triclops was the son of Cosimo II and still very much alive. Palpatine himself also sensed that there was a connection between he and the boy. Dantius demanded that Zorba give him the boy, and Zorba named his price: that Palpatine remove his factory barge from Bespin and hand over custody of Leia Organa so Zorba could take her life in revenge. The latter was unacceptable to the Emperor, and he ordered his stormtroopers to attack. Zorba, however, was prepared, and his greater force of Cloud Police overwhelmed Palpatine's troops and seized the Imperial leader. Dantius was transported to the same carbon-freezing chamber that Han Solo had once been frozen in. Though he managed to fight off the guards briefly, his effort was in vain. Re-apprehended, Palpatine then made a last-ditch attempt to bribe Zorba, offering him a share of power and the rank of grand admiral, but it was to no avail, and the gangster had Palpatine encased in a slab of carbonite. He placed the Emperor's frozen body in the Figg & Associates Art Museum under heavy guard, keeping him as a hostage to prevent any Imperial retaliation. Kadann's coup Palpatine having failed in his mission, Kadann now seized the opportunity. From Scardia Station he revoked his blessing of Dantius, declaring himself the new Emperor. The Central Committee, in the meantime, were working to get Palpatine back. When Zorba left Cloud City for Tatooine, chief of police Muskov alerted the Imperial forces in orbit of Bespin. Bribing the museum guards, they retrieved Palpatine's body, but before they could thaw it, a vessel of the Prophets arrived, the High Prophet Jedgar on board. Jedgar demanded that the moffs relinquish Dantius; as leverage, he blackmailed Hissa with damaging information the Prophets' agents had collected. Dantius was handed over and taken to Scardia Station. When Palpatine's slab arrived at Scardia Station, Kadann and the Prophets had it taken to the station's neutron furnace and exposed it to the furnace's deadly rays. Their heat was such that the block was entirely vaporized, leaving no trace of it or Dantius. To the Prophets and Moffs, it appeared as though Palpatine were dead. As it turned out, both parties had been deceived. The block Zorba had displayed in the Cloud City Museum had been a replica. The real body of Dantius was kept in a hidden compartment on Zorba's ship, the Zorba Express. It was not until the Grand Moffs' Moffship intercepted the Express over Tatooine, intending on avenging themselves upon Zorba for capturing Palpatine, that they found it. Having obtained it, they quickly set about reviving their Emperor. Once free from the carbonite, Palpatine learned that the Prophets had betrayed him, cursed them, then prepared to have his revenge on Zorba. Zorba stalled Dantius, however, when he informed him that he had Leia imprisoned. Dantius promised to free him if he gave her location. Personality and traits Dantius Palpatine was characterized by his intelligence, charisma, cruelty, viciousness, ruthlessness, and arrogance. Palpatine considered himself an expert at deception. Whilst many of his enemies considered him to be evil, he himself likened those that used that charge as 'too small minded to understand and beneath him intellectually'. Though he admitted to a certain amount of inhumanity, the Emperor believed the use of viciousness was necessary, and did not think this side of him diminished his positive aspects. He also had a curt attitude to people whom he did not know. An intelligent man, Palpatine liked to flaunt his knowledge and boast of his high education, as shown during a conversation with Leia Organa Solo. He was also knowledgeable about business and finance, and he was also able to determine what kind of high priced suit one was wearing just by looking at it. From a young age, he was motivated to prove himself worthy of his lineage and obtaining absolute power. In his obsessive quest, he showed patience, incredible determination, and vast intelligence. A narcissist, Palpatine identified his own essence with the very blackness of space, even going so far as to declare himself the ultimate personification of the dark side. Palpatine also seemed to enjoy reading stories that made reference to things that he did or were about him. Palpatine's large nose had an effect on his perception of himself. Teased as a child for it, even as an adult he was displeased when others found it repulsive. Like many in his family, he personally considered having a large nose to be a mark of perfection, and in his speech on Kessel declared that one with a large nose had an innate ability to lead as well as a hidden strength, believing it granted him above-ordinary insight. In his mind, his nose elevated him above mere simpletons and he even believed himself to be superior to both his older brother and father. Palpatine was a devious, seductive and egomaniacal individual, easily manipulating others to follow him in his pursuit for dominance and power. Due to his charisma and best-selling books, he became something of a revered folk hero amongst some younger sentients at many universities across the galaxy, in particular ones in or near Imperial space. He would even make occasional appearances at campus' loyal to him and give lectures to the students. Palpatine was successful in many of these respects in part because he was an incredible actor with an innate ability to convincingly emote virtually any intention he wanted to get across. This, along with his humor and his trademark smile would make him appear more likeable to younger audiences. However, enough of his sociopathic nature had been unveiled to the subjects of the Empire that several members of the Imperial hierarchy viewed him as having delusions of grandeur. Some of his officers such as Stormtrooper Corps Commander Nahdonnis Praji dismissed these claims as figures of speech, although in Praji's case, he reassessed his original views on the matter when meeting the Emperor face-to-face in 10 ABY. Even his own brother, Decimus, agreed that his brother was, indeed, an 'asshole' Palpatine had a casual attitude to killing as shown when he murdered the Jedi Rayf Ysanna and even his own cousin for failing him. He was quick to anger, and on one occasion, he attempted to murder two Imperials for simply questioning his right to rule during his first coronation. Palpatine was a supporter of super weapon projects; including the Galaxy Gun and World Devastators, the latter of which he fully intended to use on the entire population of Dac and had no qualms about the fact that would include the deaths of innocent women and children. During his time as the Overlord at Kessel and later as Emperor, he was shown to be quite sadistic in his torturing of foes. He was instinctively treacherous, betraying and killing numerous beings who apparently trusted him, such as Jorus Sabaoth. In testament to his brutality, Palpatine also once threatened to cut out Luke Skywalker's heart with a spoon. Palpatine preferred to switch between a casual persona and an intimidating one in order to surprise people with his next move, as he usually had many different tricks up his sleeve. On more than one occasion he and Luke Skywalker tried to stay one step ahead of each other in a battle of wits. After he saw Skywalker was able to match him in these regards, Palpatine developed a measure of respect for the Jedi, though he also hated him for it. Due to his blatant disregard for sentient life, along with the unbelievable things he'd done for the sake of the Empire, Kam Solusar had intentions of doing away with Palpatine. Dantius also had a good, but clearly dark sense of humor, and wasn't afraid to make light of very dark and serious situations. This was furthered by his apparent jokey nature with a few of his close subordinates. Even Solusar often shot witty remarks back and forth with him. Palpatine was also a prolific author. His notes on political and military sciences became popular texts, and his theories on these subjects were taught at universities throughout the galaxy. Palpatine was a known patron of the arts, attending the opera whenever able and surrounding himself with unique statuary and decorative antiques. Many of these statues served as convenient hiding places to stash Palpatine's various dark side artifacts and lightsabers. Relationships Romantic Interests Roganda Ismaren Ysanne Isard Tessala Corvae Dantius' prostitute mistress Leia Organa During his campaign against the New Republic, Dantius Palpatine became infatuated with Leia Organa. Though the feeling was not mutual, Palpatine believed he could convince her to betray the New Republic and turn to the dark side of the Force. His attempts to do so included telling her to accept her own darker aspects, and explaining that evil acts and murder were sometimes necessary, and did not diminish his own capacity to love. Dantius' obsession with Leia would ultimately lead to his downfall: first when he tried to kill Zorba the Hut for wanting her dead, which led to his capture and the rise of Kadann, and finally when he "married" Leia, which nearly killed him. Arihnda Pryce Powers and Abilities Dantius Palpatine was considered by many to be one of the most powerful Dark Lords in history, firmly believing himself to be the most powerful ever. Lightsaber Training Dantius Palpatine was incredibly skilled in lightsaber combat, and one of the greatest duelists of all time. A Swordmaster, Palpatine managed to fight and defeat Luke Skywalker in a one-on-one lightsaber duel on Byss. He was ambidextrous and could change his fighting style at a whim, keeping his opponents unsure of what his next move would be. A master of every form of lightsaber combat and stances, Palpatine drew his opponents in, fighting less than his true capability, and then striking the fatal blow when his opponents thought they had the better of him. When fighting at full strength, the Dark Lord was a terrifying opponent. The Emperor used a combination of all forms and had an extremely aggressive dueling style, which allowed him to defeat experienced Jedi with very little effort. Force Powers In addition to his lightsaber combat skills, Palpatine was considered to be one of the greatest Force users of all time, perceived in the Force by Jard Dooku, as a "black hole of the dark side." Palpatine was a master of Force lightning and was known to use this both as a lethal attack, and as a way of torturing his enemies. In addition, he could use this power to light up the surface of a an entire planet. He was also extremely skilled with telekinesis, using this ability with incredible dexterity and precision. Likewise, he was skilled enough with telekinesis that he was also able to remove Luke Skywalker's restraints while barely even lifting his finger when meeting face to face on the Death Star. Palpatine also possessed the power of Force Flight, implementing it on occasion. Palpatine was also the only known being capable of producing a Force storm of his own power, a dark side technique which he himself discovered. Among the Emperor's powers was the ability to channel the collective life essences of billions to sustain himself and his Dark Side Adepts, his victims would live in a dream-like state while his own power grew. The entire population of Byss lived under this spell until much of the main continent's destruction by the Galaxy Gun. It was mentioned by Luke Skywalker that the Emperor's very voice had a hypnotic lull to it whenever he was outwardly projecting his dark side Force powers. Palpatine was highly adept at foreseeing the future, often utilizing the power to see his plots to fruition, ensuring that all would proceed as he had envisioned. Furthermore, the Dark Lord was a master of Force stealth and also possessed knowledge of Dark magic, allowing him to use arcane rituals to detect poisons and drugs in food and drink. Appearances *''Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire'' *''Star Wars: Return of the Jedi'' *''Star Wars: The Glove of Darth Vader'' *''Star Wars: The Lost City of the Jedi'' *''Star Wars: Zorba the Hutt's Revenge'' *''Star Wars: Mission from Mount Yoda'' *''Star Wars: Queen of the Empire'' *''Star Wars: Prophets of the Dark Side'' }} Notes and references Category:Males Category:Humans Category:Inhabitants of Coruscant Category:Nobility Category:Authors Category:House of Palpatine Category:Force-sensitives Category:Dark Lords Category:Inhabitants of Byss Category:Inhabitants of Bastion Category:Emperors of the Galactic Empire Category:Royalty Category:Sorcerers Category:Torturers and interrogators Category:Prophets of the Dark Side Category:Empire of the Hand personnel